Finding Employment do Agencies Find Prospects better Jobs – No
Most of the agencies I applied with have failed to deliver a true offer for even an interview. One takes the time to fill out the agency application, upload cover letter and resume thinking this is a legit business. At the end of your completed entry, you are hit with "for $39.95 we will submit your application and resume." Careerbuilder.com tried to do that to me. Why would I want to pay an agency $39.95? Hello, I am looking for a job not trying to buy one.
Another pet peeve I have discovered I have is when the agency contacts you for a specific job, and then fails to reply back. Or gives some bogus url listing to check your application status. The url listing never gives you any information other than "your application has been received." Who do you know has time to wait around hoping for a reply? "Time is money, and money is time." is a statement everyone is familiar with.
When I was approached to go back to school and get my Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration, I was assured the degree would help me move into the business field. Wrong, most employers are seeking someone with a Bachelor of Arts Degree minimum. Agencies tend to prefer them or experience equal to them. That creates the old "catch 22", you need a job to gain experience, to gain experience, you need a job!
Monster.com invited me to a Job Fair. This was a learning experience. My first mistake was using Mapquest for directions. The first left turn in the directions was for a one way street that ran the opposite direction. Next, I found out why it is better to get there early. Just imagine the mall parking lot the last weekend before Christmas. Most important, CALL and find out the main type of jobs being recruited. After finding my way, locating one of the last parking spaces, I find most are insurance sales positions,I am not a salesman. To make the best of the situation, I made the rounds to the shorter lines handing out my cover letter and resume. Never miss a chance to network.
So, as you can see from my personal experience, using agencies is not always a guarantee of getting a job offer. Not all agencies are created equal. My husband went through TriangleHelpWanted.com and found a job in two weeks! The plant he worked at closed their doors February 8th, his birthday. The business he had interviewed with in January called to see if he was still interested. He started with the new job the following Wednesday, February 13th.
